


Utena Fairytale Drabbles

by veleda_k



Category: Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena
Genre: Drabbles, F/F, Fairy Tales, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-16
Updated: 2013-02-11
Packaged: 2017-11-21 07:49:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 2,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/595264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veleda_k/pseuds/veleda_k
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of drabbles (and double drabbles, and drabbles-and-a-half), originally for the femslash100 lj/dw community. Each drabble is self contained and based on a different fairytale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Locked Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Bluebeard  
> Pairing: Anthy/Utena  
> Rating: PG  
> Word count: 100

Anthy's heart is a labyrinth. Twisting corridors and trap doors prevent anyone from finding the room that holds her true self. 

Utena is coming close, however. In tiny, unthinking ways Anthy has revealed far too much already, and Utena always wants to know more. Utena thinks she has found the key to Anthy's soul, and she may be right. Anthy hopes that she's wrong. Because Anthy has secrets that were never meant to be known and cannot be seen.

Anthy hopes that Utena never discovers who Anthy truly is. Because after that there's only one way her story can end.


	2. Mother Said Not to Stray

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Little Red Riding Hood  
> Pairing: Kozue/Nanami  
> Rating: PG  
> Word count: 150 (Drabble and a half)  
> Notes: Oh god, I have a new ship. Takes place during episode 26, and the title is from Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods."

Nanami's heart races as she hurries away from Kozue.

Nanami knows full well that Kozue has slept with Touga. She knows and does nothing. Because Nanami is queen of the school, but Kozue is outside even her reach, a wild animal who would think nothing of tearing your heart out. (She imagines Kozue with blood on her lips and shivers, from fear and revulsion surely.)

Nanami tries not to think of Kozue's feral grin, or of the way her eyes gleamed, as if Nanami was something to eat. She tries not to think of what those eyes were promising.

Nanami doesn't stray from the path as she makes her way back home. In the safety of her room, she puts on her long white nightgown and doesn't think of Kozue.

In her sleep, she walks the path of needles and hears the howl of the wolf.


	3. Little Paper Castles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Steadfast Tin Soldier  
> Pairing: Juri/Shiori  
> Rating: PG  
> Word count: 100

Shiori knows she isn't strong. She's a flimsy thing, made up of a sweet smile and pretty paper.

Juri is different. Juri is stiff, strong, and unyielding. Except with Shiori. Unbending Juri breaks in Shiori's hands.

But in the end, Shiori only does what Juri allows her to do. Others can cast her as the villain, but it's Juri who returns time and time again to play the exact same story.

Shiori is growing tired of their roles. She dances to the same weary tune and longs for the final burst of passion that will burn them both to nothing.


	4. All That Glitters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Golden Goose  
> Pairing: Anthy/Kozue  
> Rating: PG  
> Word count: 200 (Double drabble)

After her first rendezvous with the End of the World, Kozue finds the Rose Bride waiting in the shadows. Kozue approaches her, a wide smile across her face.

"Your brother has many things to say." Kozue waits for a response, but gets nothing. She tries again. "He tells me that whoever owns you will win her heart's desire."

The Rose Bride smiles. "Really?"

Kozue scowls at the vacuous reply. "I wouldn't think it, looking at you." She steps forward and cups the Bride's cheek. "Still, you're pretty enough, I suppose." A flash of movement and she has the Bride's slender wrist in her hand. The Bride offers no resistance, even as Kozue squeezes viciously and pulls the Bride roughly against her. Kozue leans in, their lips almost meeting. "I'd like to rip you open and see what's inside." She lets her lips brush against the corner of the Bride's mouth. "Would I have everything then?" She looks into the Bride's eyes, her fierce, searching gaze meeting the Bride's blank, unyielding one.

It's Kozue who looks away first. "I'll get what I want on my own," she mutters. She doesn't look back as she stalks off. She's not sure she dares.


	5. Against the Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Frog Prince  
> Pairing: Anthy/Utena  
> Rating: PG  
> Word count: 150  
> A/N: Takes place during episode 39.

As a child, Utena had loved "The Frog Prince," but only the versions where the princess kissed the frog to end the enchantment. She hated the versions where the spell was broken after the princess threw the frog against a wall.

Now, she understands. Becoming a prince has nothing to do with kisses. Being broken and standing up again, that makes a prince.

Utena ignores the ragged pain in her side. She ignores the gaping emptiness in her chest. She ignores the false-prince who tries to turn her away. She even ignores the glittering pieces of her heart that have been smashed against ruthless stone. She thinks of only one thing.

The princess in the story was cruel and deceitful, but the prince loved her anyway. Perhaps he saw something that no one else did.

Staggering and dragging herself across the arena, Utena has enough breath for one word.

"...Himemiya."


	6. Beyond the Thorns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sleeping Beauty  
> Pairing: Anthy/Utena  
> Rating: PG  
> Word count: 150  
> A/N: Takes place during episode 39.

Once upon a time, a princess slept in an enchanted castle.

No, once upon a time, a witch slept in an enchanted coffin. She had been sleeping for a long time, so long she was afraid to wake. So around the coffin she built a wall of thorns, for the coffin was also her heart. (This is a fairytale. Things like that happen.) The thorns were so wicked and sharp that the witch was sure no one would ever find their way through. And so she would close her eyes forever. Until one day a prince came to the castle that was a coffin that was a heart. She dove courageously into the thorns, and then... and then...

Utena cries out as the thorns rip her fingers. Still she struggles, even as her tears fall into the vast nothingness.

The thorns give way. The coffin creaks.

Anthy opens her eyes.


	7. Where the Wind Goes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: East of the Sun, West of the Moon  
> Pairing: Anthy/Utena  
> Rating: G  
> Word count: 100  
> A/N: Spoilers for the end of the series

The wind blows as Anthy leaves Ohtori.

"Where are you going?" asks the East Wind.

"To find my beloved."

"What if she has gone East of the Sun?" whispers the West Wind.

"I shall go there."

"What if she lies West of the Moon?" murmurs the South Wind.

"I shall go there."

"What if she is under a spell?" The East Wind again.

"I shall break it."

"How will you get there?" The West Wind once more.

"However I must."

"I shall carry you," The North Wind speaks at last.

The wind tangles Anthy's hair. "Wait for me," she whispers.


	8. Let Me Hold Your Heart Like a Flower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Rapunzel  
> Pairing: Anthy/Utena  
> Rating: G  
> Word count: 150  
> A/N: Title from Anne Sexton's _Rapunzel_.

At the edge of the Kingdom, at the very top of the highest tower, Utena and Anthy get ready for bed. Anthy lets her hair unfurl, and it falls to the floor in ripples. Utena wonders how it always stays untangled in the mornings. Sometimes she thinks of offering to braid it, but knows her fingers would be clumsy, would catch in the thick silk of Anthy's hair.

Utena contents herself with watching. Anthy keeps her hair tightly bound during the day. But here in the dark Anthy lets herself down as if it were a casual thing. 

She smiles at Utena, one of her small, strange smiles, and they lie in bed, fingers entwined as they talk of everything and nothing. 

Tomorrow there will be math tests, basketball games, and duels. But tonight, in the tallest tower, there's just the two of them, in a moment that lasts forever.


	9. Reflection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs   
> Pairing: Anthy/Nanami  
> Rating: PG  
> Word count: 100

Nanami's reasons for hating Anthy are simple. Anthy is threat. Nanami is a queen, and like any proper queen she tolerates no competition. There's no other reason. She does not fear what might lie beneath Anthy's blank gaze. She does not look into Anthy's eyes and see a reflection that she dares not face. She does not want to grasp Anthy, hold her, force her secrets from her. There's nothing to want.

When Nanami dreams, Anthy's skin is soft and warm. Her eyes reflect far too much and she tastes like too sweet fruit.

In the morning, Nanami avoids mirrors.


	10. In This Deep Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Little Mermaid  
> Pairing: Juri/Shiori  
> Rating: G  
> Word count: 100

The power of Juri's love lies in its silence. Juri knows that. If she spoke, then it would all be over. Even if Shiori rejected her (and she would, of course she would), at least she would be free. She would at last be done with the weight around her shoulders.

But Juri says nothing. She has worn the locket so long that she can no longer imagine what she would do without it. Would she disappear entirely, gone as quickly as sea foam?

Juri doesn't speak, even as she walks on knives. Even as she waits to be forgotten.


	11. Quid Pro Quo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Rumpelstiltskin  
> Pairing: Anthy/Utena  
> Rating: PG  
> Word count: 100  
> A/N: Pretty loosely related to the fairytale this time. Sorry. This one was _strongly_ influenced by Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Anthy is odd, but Utena has grown used to her. More than that, really. Anthy is helpful, tidy, and attentive.

Anthy weaves magic and prepares Utena for battle, and after the bells toll she makes Utena tea.

Anthy gives Utena purpose. What is a prince without a princess to protect? Anthy looks up at Utena with soft eyes. _Help me_ , they seem to say. _It can only be you._ Utena meets Anthy's eyes and knows that she's doing what's truly right.

Anthy has given Utena exactly what she wants. And Utena never stops to wonder what the price might be.


	12. All Worn Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Twelve Dancing Princesses  
> Pairing: Anthy/Utena  
> Rating: G  
> Word count: 200

Utena frequently dreams. Sometimes it's memories of her prince. Other times, the dreams are silly: Chu-chu becomes a giant, or people turn into cars. But sometimes, there's another dream. In this dream, Utena travels down a winding staircase and crosses a silver lake. And every time, Anthy is waiting for her. Dream Anthy wears neither her uniform nor the Rose Bride dress, but a gown of shifting silk. Her hair is unbound, and she's missing her glasses.

In the dream, they dance. Anthy is warm, soft, and real, for all that this is imagination. They dance until dawn, and Utena knows she should tire, but she never does.

In the morning, she studies her shoes in exasperation. "I just bought this pair," she says, "and they already have holes."

Anthy sips her tea. "Perhaps you're traveling while you sleep."

It's such a curious, Anthy thing to say that Utena laughs. "I'm very active in my dreams, I guess."

Anthy says nothing, but she looks at Utena like they share a secret. Utena lets the matter drop, but when her fingers brush against Anthy's, she wonders, briefly, what it would be like to dance forever, until they were far, far away.


	13. It is but One Turn in the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hansel and Gretel  
> Pairing: Anthy/Kozue  
> Rating: PG  
> Word count: 100  
> A/N: Title from Anne Sexton's "Hansel and Gretel"

Kozue has never feared the unknown. She's never belonged in the safe and orderly garden her brother idolizes. Kozue is a creature of the woods.

Kozue wasn't afraid to play the Chairman's game. He was leading her in deep, but a wild animal can always find the trail.

Days after the duel, Kozue can still feel the Rose Bride's lips against hers. She can still smell the roses, and her dreams are haunted by unearthly green eyes.

Too late, Kozue has learned that there are witches in the forest, and she's no longer certain she can find her way back.


	14. Before the Clock Strikes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Cinderella  
> Pairing: Anthy/Utena  
> Rating: G  
> Word count: 100  
> A/N: Takes place during episode three.

Some would say that it's like something out of a fairytale, and though Anthy knows better, her breath still catches as Utena holds out her hand.

The cold, cruel faces of the crowd melt away as she and Utena dance. This moment is just for the two of them.

None of it's real, of course. Anthy knows that. The dress is a tablecloth, the prince is only a girl, and Anthy is anything but a princess. The spell will inevitably shatter like so much glass. But not yet, not right now.

Anthy dances, and she does not think of midnight


	15. Swan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Ugly Duckling  
> Fandom: Revolutionary Girl Utena  
> Pairing: Juri/Shiori  
> Rating: PG  
> Word count: 100

Years ago, before the locket, Juri and Shiori used to talk about the future. Juri wanted to be a fencer, a model, or (one odd afternoon) a champion bowler. 

"I'm going to be important," Shiori said once. "I'm going to be beautiful."

Juri looked at the brightness in Shiori's eyes. She followed the lines of Shiori's legs, the swell of her breast. A few stray hairs had fallen in Shiori's face and Juri imagined brushing them away. She imagined kissing Shiori. Instead she stared at the ground. "I think you're beautiful now," she murmured, but she didn't think Shiori heard.


	16. Over the Hills and Far Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Pied Piper of Hamelin  
> Pairing: Anthy/Utena (implied)  
> Rating: G  
> Word count: 150

It wasn't that Wakaba disliked Himemiya. She was a nice girl. But there was something... off about her. Utena had become different, since becoming friends with her.

When Utena looked into Himemiya's eyes, it was like she couldn't see anything else. As if Himemiya's voice was a song only she could hear. And that should have been fine. Wakaba wanted nothing more than to see her friend happy. But something wasn't right.

Being with Himemiya had made Utena brighter, but also more distant. And as she watched, a small part of Wakaba's heart cried out, _Please don't take her away._

She never breathed a word of it to Utena. Sometimes she tried to catch Himemiya's eye, but the other girl would only smile blankly at her. 

So, Wakaba made Utena lunch and hugged her, and tried not to think of the day Utena would go somewhere she could never follow.


	17. Through a Glass Darkly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Snow Queen  
> Pairing: Juri/Shiori  
> Rating: PG  
> Word count: 100

Once upon a time there was a magic mirror that distorted everything in its view. Through the mirror nothing good could be seen. One day the mirror broke. The pieces lodged in people eyes so they could see only ugliness, and in their hearts, which turned to lumps of ice.

Shiori looks at herself and sees a plain, pathetic, ordinary girl. She looks at Juri and sees a condescending false friend, secretly laughing at her. Her loathing for herself and her hatred for Juri grow. And her cold, cold heart cannot recognize Juri's love, which only longs to warm her.


	18. Time, and Time, and Time Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Raven  
> Pairing: Anthy/Utena  
> Rating: PG  
> Word count: 100

Time turns throughout the aeons but events do not change. Anthy knows this better than anyone. She has seen untold would be princes and noble souls swear to set her free. All have failed.

She wants Utena to be different. She longs for Utena in a way she thought she could no longer feel. But her brother is already weaving his spell, and Utena will fail like all the rest before her, no matter how Anthy hopes otherwise.

“Don't take anything he gives you,” Anthy whispers. But Utena never hears, and all of Anthy's desire cannot stop what's coming.


End file.
